higgies

I'm going PHL-YYZ-PVG on AC, and I got here really early. Get to use the United Club between C/D terminals. It's not bad. They have a decent spread of food, the coffee's good, and the Wireless is great. The decor and comfort of the seating is lacking though.

I'm just happy I get a spot to grab some food and do some work!

mr_edward_p

Its small but gets the job done. The restrooms are a disgrace though. Going through on Wednesday, the urinals were closed and covered in caution tape. My wife said the women's are ugly as well. All I can say is that as bad as they are, it's still marginally better than the public facilities.

I do laugh at the sight of the ashtrays at the urinals. I smoked cigarettes in the past like many others, but I don't remember a time that my need to have a smoke couldn't wait until I was done, or vice versa.

higgies

Yeah, the bathrooms are out of order this morning still. It's ridiculous!

goodeats21

I have not been in PHL United Club for some time (didn't renew my membership).

I remember the bar area always being uncomfortably hot...Still that way?

COSPILOT

Nothing has changed, it's still hot. They still have that little fan in the corner to help a little.

jsl42

Are the self-serve snack canisters with the cranks back?

They took them away a couple of weeks ago (employee behind the desk indicated there was a problem with the Philly health department but that they might reappear) and the individually wrapped pretzels that replaced the snack mix/chocolate peanuts/etc do not measure up!

With the recent change to the snack mix at the US Airways Clubs at PHL, things are going downhill fast.

salesna

How do the US Airways Clubs at PHL compare to the United Club? I usually use United's facility when flying through PHL (free booze, not just free beer and wine), but I might try US Airways if folks think they're worthwhile. Thanks.

jsl42

Both the A and the B/C US Club rooms (F is currently closed due to renovation) are airy, spacious, and generally cleaner than the UA Club. Being on the second and third floor, respectively, of the terminal, they also have nice tarmac and runway views. Bathrooms at US lounges are large and clean, unlike the third-world conditions at the UA Club.

In terms of food and beverage, the UA Club has the usual array, except for the snack canisters. Free well drinks, beer, and wine, too. Pay for call liquor. The US Club has only free domestic beer and wine. Any hard alcohol they charge. To eat, they have instant oatmeal, fresh fruit, and maybe some pastries in the morning. Later on cookies, fruit, chips and salsa, and snack mix. The A lounge has soup and olives available during transatlantic departure times. Oh, and free butter mints at the desk.

My preference is the US Club, unless I need UA CSR or am looking for a drink, in which case I hit up the UA Club.

The winner at PHL, though, might be AA, which shares the BA lounge. Never been in but it looks nice from the concourse.

mr_edward_p

The B/C US Airways Club is larger and nicer. I can imagine that it gets pretty busy at certain points and that it might be tough to score drinks. It's not too much of a pain to walk there.

The A Club is quite nice but is a pretty ridiculous walk if you're flying out of D. I've only been over there when I did a Tour de Lounge but can't find the motivation to walk over there.

I still find myself hitting the United Club more often. I just need to grab a drink and some munchies before a flight without too much hassle. There are a lot of power outlets around to top off the power on your devices which is a plus. I suppose if the bathroom closure persists, I'll be heading over to the US Club though.

craz

with over 5 yrs flying at times out of PHL only once did I have enough time before my flight to access the UC (RCC) I usually get to the gate just as they start the boarding and stopping at the UC would mean Gate checking my carry-on (no TY)

salesna

I have fond memories of the former Envoy lounge in A from a flight to TLV a few years back. Good selection of hot and cold snacks, fully stocked (and free) bar, and bartenders who actually know how to make a Negroni. Unfortunately I think US Airways has since demoted the facility, turning it into a generic US Airways Club.

Phudnik

Now that the Envoy lounge has been converted into an ordinary US club, the BA lounge is by far the nicest one at PHL, with the new DL lounge a distant second. I have only been there before a BA sleeper service flight, so I don't have a good sense of the ordinary food offerings, but the (self-service) drinks selection is better than UA and DL and well beyond what US offers. It was one of the first of the BA lounges to offer their current lounge design/concept (Galleries) and has a much nicer atmosphere than any of the other clubs.

I don't know if they scale things down earlier in the day when the lounge is occupied by AA fliers rather than BA fliers.

jackal

The B/C lounge also has soup and olives. I've seen them there several times in the early afternoon.

Agree with the previous posters--A is nice but far too far to visit except on (I love this term) a Tour de Lounge. B/C is nice enough and equivalent now to the A lounge in terms of amenities. The UC is relatively junky but useful if you just need a quick snack or drink. I usually find myself going to the B/C lounge for food, and then when I'm full, I head to the UC for a few swigs of Yuengling before my flight.

Also, since we were comparing the AA/BA lounge here, I'll throw my two cents in and say that the DL SC appears to be newly renovated and has a decent self-serve snack and booze bar. Every single time I've been in, though, it's been massively overcrowded.

PHLesq

The men's room at the UA Club is indeed a disgrace. Aside from both urinals covered in yellow police tape, the floor tile is cracking and the toilet stalls are so narrow they wouldn't qualify for Y seating on Spirit. Can't imagine why they ignored the bathrooms when they renovated a year or so ago.

I use this Club often, but am afraid it's going to close. If it stays open, they will either need to fix the bathrooms soon, or just give up and send us to the public RR down the hall.

cleanfloor

Wait wait wait. The coffee is good? is it not the standard (horrendous) coffee they serve in all the other clubs? diamond something?

Oddly, even though the coffee is barely drinkable, I get an odd sense of comfort when I settle in for my first cup before a long haul.